Christmas Card 2012

 

For my 2012 Christmas card I made myself an old fashion styled circus high-wire outfit. Then with the magic of Photoshop I added a backdrop to make it look like I was off the ground. After I printed out the image I strung through the print, going under my feet, a "high wire" string for a fun 3D effect. Washi and glitter tapes made for an easy way to add design elements to my card.

 On the back I found some fun circus theme fonts to use as I finished off the graphic design. The extra space gave me room to write a quick hello.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

My 2011 Christmas card.

My Homemade Christmas Cards

Fourteen years ago I started my production of a homemade Christmas card. It started when I was a poor college student living in a house with about 60 other people. I wished I could give everyone in the house a little gift, and if I made them smile for even just a moment knowing they got a handmade Christmas card, then that was a nice gift.

My Christmas card list only grew through the years. I love thinking about what card I will make for everyone each year, to remind people that I care about them, and to continually share the Gospel by writing about my life in Christ. I am very thankful and even blessed that I get to share my heart and creativities in this way each year.

As you can see my resources have increased over time, but since I create them in a large quantity, I can still make them on a budget.

They can be quite the production and perhaps some year I will return to the simplicity of the beginning years. But I can't really imagine that, since they have become such a joy and tradition for me each year. Moving more towards photo based cards has saved on production time. And I love coming up with a twist on a theme. 

I have also made some of the outfits and props for my photos. This green jacket from last year's photo is the one I wrote of in a previous blog post.


Now I better get started on this year!! Merry Christmas!

Paper Cupcakes on Call

There are a lot of great embellishments and stickers to buy these days. I’ve realized through the years though, that the best embellishments I buy I have a harder time using – once I use it, I won’t get to use it again. That is why I like buying punches and other gadgets that let me make multiples of anything I decide to make… I can almost always make more. I have a drawer full of colorful scrap pattern papers that come in extra handy for my punches. Several months ago I decided to see if I could put together a cupcake design with the materials I had on had. Here is what I came up with.

I began with my paper crimper (which is actually a toothpaste crimper that I use on paper =). I knew this would help simulate the cupcake liner. I cut it into an angled rectangle (trapezoid) to fit the size of the cupcake top which I made from a scallop circle punch.

My “cherry on top” is from a small circle punch and heart punch. A simple and cute design that I can make over and over with different papers and color combinations.

My Favorite Holiday

For a girl like me, who is single, people are often strangely confused that Valentines Day would be my favorite holiday. Sure I didn’t always feel this way. There were the anxiety-filled days of elementary school when I would fearfully hope I got valentine cards. But experiencing that feeling confronted me with a choice (that took a little while to learn) to either feel sad and hurt or to help others not feel that way. If we all sit around wanting to be given love, then who is doing the giving? Well, honesty, God is.

God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to Earth (Christmas). Jesus loves us so much that He died for our sin (Easter). And yet life is more than just me and God. He put us here with each other... where we get to learn to love and be loved... to give grace and receive it. Valentines Day not only reminds me of God's love and the people in my life who love me, but that I too have the choice and ability to spread the love. I love it!

While I feel most loved when I get to spend quality time with people, I often give love through words of encouragement, acts of service or even gifts (as categorized by the Five Love Languages). Which I feel like is all wrapped up in giving a handmade card.

A few years ago a local art supply store had a Valentines Day cards contest. I made one with as many different techniques as I could fit on it. A stitched fabric heart painted pink and stamped with white screening ink; Red tissue paper printed with “love” in a variety of fonts then crinkled up and lacquered to cardstock; l-o-v-e letters embossed onto clay circles and painted; bronze embossing powdered hearts and paper edges; are a few of the techniques and materials I used.

  

For my niece and nephew this year I made them these cute little pop-up cards. A pop-up card definitely says “love”! Happy Valentines Day!!